Reducing the risk of COVID-19 transmission to great apes survey – University of Exeter

25th January 2021

Have you ever visited, or are you interested in visiting, a wild great ape tourism site in Africa?

It is known that great apes can also contract COVID-19 causing yet another potentially fatal threat to these already endangered species.

University of Exeter, Conservation Through Public Health, Institute for Biodiversity and Protected Areas, Robert Koch Institute, Bristol Zoological Society and the IUCN Primate Specialist Group COVID-19 Working Group are collaborating on a project to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission between tourists, wild great apes and local people at tourism sites in Africa.

Please complete their questionnaire and share it with anyone who has seen wild great apes in Africa or would consider seeing great apes in the wild in the future (tourists/researchers/etc)

From the questionnaire, they will develop evidence-based, multimedia education materials for ape tourism sites across Africa. They will implement bespoke education strategies at Cantanhez NP and Bwindi Impenetrable NP that will be shared on their website, illustrating how to develop an education campaign using the materials they provide.

Image: Cantanhez NP, Joana Bessa